Surface condenser



1,642,113 Sept. 13, 1927- KIRGAN SURFACE CONDENSER Filed March 8. 1927 j INVENTOR.

HI? AT'T RNEY I Patented Sept. 13, 1927.

v UNITED s'rssr ss 1, 42,113 PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN F. KIRGAN, F EASTON, PENNSYLVANIA, :ASSIGNOB TO INGEBSOLL-BAND COM- PANY, OF JERSEY CITY, -NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

BUB-FACE OONDENSEB.

Application filed ma 8, 1921. semi No. 173.073.

10 the condensate outlets and the outlets for air:

and uncondensable vapors are separate since this is the more practical manner of main-- taining suitable vacuums in the various compartments. In order to draw off the condensate at least two condensate outlets are usually provided at suitable distances from each other. More outlets are not considered necessary, or desirable since this provides more joints at which air leakage may occur.

It is an object of the invention to prevent the vacuum in certain of the compartments from being spoiled by the generation of steam or vapor from other compartments.

Other objects and advantages of the inven-' tion will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

In the drawin forming part of the specification and in w ich similar reference char acters refer to similarparts, Figure 1 is a longitudinalvertical section through a condenser embodying the invention, 1 f Figure 2 is a cross section of the condenser taken along the line 2-2 of Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows, and

4 Figure 3 is a side elevation of the lower part of the condenser'showing'the means for throttling the air outlets to produce various degrees ofvacuum or absolute pressure at 4 the bottoms of the condenser compartments. Referring to the drawings, a condenser in its preferred form comprises a shell A having a steam inlet'B and a plurality of tubes C arranged preferably transverse to the-path' of the steam enteringat the inlet 1B. The tubes C are sealed at their ends in suitable tube sheets I) and E associated with an inlet water head F and an outlet water head G res ctively. i The space within the shell A is. dividedtransversely by suitable tube sup rt plates H into compartments J, K, L an 0 each of such compartments extends from the up r-- most to the lowermost rows of tubesf an -,by

reason of the direction of the flow o compartments K and O are efiectedby means water from the inlet water head F toward the outlet water head G, the compartments'J, K, Land O are pro ssively warmer in the order glven-since 't e heat from the. steam condensed is absorbed by the water as it passes along the length of the tubes. The temperature condition in the various compartments result in varying specific steam condensing capacity in the various compart ments, the cooler compartment being adapted to condense the most steam and the compartment 0 the least. The tendency therefore, is for the steam to penetrate less deeply in the cooler compartments than in the warmer compartments. This tendency is neutralized by drawing a greater degree of vacuum in the cooler compartment J than in the warmest compartment 0, the intermediate compartments K and L being ada ted to be malntalned at intermediate egrees of 75 vacuum. -To this end, at the bottom of the condenser there are provided air outlets P which are adapted to be'connected with suitable evacuating apparatus (not shown) by means of a pipe Q. Each outlet P is associated with a pair of compartments, as for instance J and K, and L- and O, and one-half of each outlet P is devoted to one com artment. For this purpose the walls '0 the compartments-J, Land 0 formed by the tube support plates H are extended by means of vertical webs R to the mouth of the air outletP. Suitable throttling plates S arev interposed between the flange of the air outlet P and the pipe Q, to choke the air outlet an amount to correspond with the degree of vacuum desired in the various compartments. Irrthis instance the air outlets P are adapted to be connected to separate evacuatin apparatus drawing different vacuums an therefore, both throttling plates S may be alike. The opening through the plates S leading to the compartments J and L are non-restricted, as at T, while the openings into the of a suitable number of perforations U 'producing the roper pressure drop into the pipes Q. ps, there is adapted to be proneed, a varying degree of vacuum decreasfrom a maximum in the compartment J mg through the compartments K and L to a in the compartment 0. The steam is thus caused to penetrate to the last row of tubes C throughout the length of the concooling denser, and hot vapor and hot condensate are discharged from the Well V at the bottom of the shell A.

As is well known, condensate at such a temperature will flash into steam if the absolute pressure is reduced, and therefore, by this invention the condensate before passing to common outlets W and X is removed from the compartments of lower pressure to those of higher pressure. In this instance, the condensate outlet W serves the two compartments J and K and the outlet X serves the compartments L and O for the sake of convenience in piping.

In order to remove the condensate from the bottom of the compartment J to the compartment K there is provided a conduit in the form of an inverted siphon or trap Y connected at two suitable apertures Z in the well V, the siphon being of sufficient depth to prevent the passage of air or vapor from one compartment to the other. Likewise, condensate is removed from the compartment L to the compartment 0 of higher absolute pressure through a conduit 6 connected at the apertures 0. Due to the fact that the condensate in the compartments of lower absolute pressure is cooler than the condensate in the compartments of higher absolute pressure, the cooler condensate cools the warmer condensate and therefore prevents flashing of the condensate into steam in the warmer compartments which might be caused by fluctuations in pressure.

As is iinderstood the compartments J, K, L and 0 should be substantially air tight near the bottom of the condenser and to lZl1lS end' the plates H may be packed in grooves tl in the casing by means of suitable pack- 1ng e.

Thus by the above construction are accomlished, among others, the objects hereinbeore referred to.

I claim: 7 1. A surface condenser comprising a casing divided into a plurality of compartments adapted to be maintained at various pressure whereby condensate is passed from a compartment of relatively low absolute pressure to a compartment of higher absolute pressure.

2. A surface condenser comprising a casing divided into a plurality of compartments adapted to be maintained at various absolute pressures, said compartments being adapted to be connected in pairs to common air evacuating devices, conduits connecting the compartments in pairs and arranged to convey condensate, and condensate outlets located in the compartments ofgreater absolute pressure whereby condensate is passed from compartments of relatively low absolute pressure to compartments of higher absolute pressure.

3. A surface condenser comprising a casing, water cooled tubes extending across said casing transverse to the direction of steam flow, tube support sheets sealed at their edges in said casing, walls to provide a plurality of compartments of various steam condensing cap'aci-ty, said compartments being adapted to be maintained at various absolute pressures, conduits connecting the compartments in pairs and arranged to convey condensate from the compartment of lower pressure to the compartment of higher pressure, and condensate outlets 1ocatedin the compartments of greater absolute pressure whereby condensate is passed from compartments of relativel low absolute'pressure to compartments 0 higher absolute pressure to prevent flashing ofcondensate into steam.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification;

JOHN F. KIRGAN. 

